With only a short time remaining on the Korean Peninsula, I searched out the better roads on my trusty CBR600RR with my buddy on a CRF400 motard in tow, battling it out over about 500kms one last time before I depart these shores..
Leaving Daegu city (Popn' 2.5 million, 3rd largest in the ROK) via the south, we took the B-roads out into the hills in the direction of Changnyeon.
Once out of the city haze you can actually enjoy some nature and the autumn leaves look particularly fetching this time of year.
Enough about the foliage, the road climbs up through tight twists and turns to the summit and we press on in the direction of CheonWangJae where the fast sweepers abound. Coming down through the tight stuff I was over-cooking the corners a little; breaking too late; doing my best to keep up with the motard. These corners weren’t made for anything over 250cc it seems and my buddy is backing it into the corners, leaving me and darkies behind with his freshly scrubbed in slicks. Me = motard envy.
Once out of the ‘tighter than a nunnery’ conditions we press on alongside some farmlands. Persimmon trees line the road for miles, splashing more orange against the rugged autumn landscape.
Waving to some riders at a rest stop we finally get to some wider roads, trading our ‘C-road’ for some ‘B-road’ action – the CBR takes the knee-scraping lead as the mountain corners widen out into a sports bike’s playground.
*Remember that motorcycles are banned from the highways in Korea, but with 4-lane B-roads that rival NZ’s state highway 1, there’s hardly any cause for complaint.
At the top of the next hill we spot another group of riders on R1s and Fireblades, we don’t stop to chat but press on, CRF backing it into another corner to inspire that ‘Wow’ factor in the onlookers (Read: “What a tosser”). After a reasonably heated couple of hours we cross a couple of bridges, make a big left and head to the Cheon Wang Jae range of mountains mid-way between Changnyeon and Miryang.
The Cheon Wang Jae range is legendary among riders in S.Korea and every weekend you’ll meet between 20-50 riders from all over the country at the summit, watching from the corners, and getting loose on the way up and down. It’s really popular thanks to its wide open, sweeping twisties, two lanes on the way up, and smooth surface. Unfortunately, riders treat it like their own personal circuit, ride too fast and dangerously. I’ve been there about 5 times and 3 of those times I’ve witnessed accidents there. Not so fun - reallly ruins your day.
We have one blast over the summit, all the way down, and back up to lunch on some spicey noodles to the sounds of bikes buzzing over the mountainside in the distance. From the summit you can see quite a few of the major corners down below which makes for interesting viewing while you digest your kimchi (Korean spicy fermented cabbage).
Last time I was here the noise stopped abruptly and I discovered on the way down why: some plonker had done a U-turn mid(blind)corner and managed to get T-boned by his mate coming up. Stupid and totally avoidable.
Joining us at the summit I meet some riders from Ulsan, Busan and somewhere up north I’ve never been. There’s a couple of ’06 R6s, ‘Blades, 600RR’s, and the obligatory R1s. One dude on a shiney Ducati biffs it later in the day near the summit, spilling petrol from his not-so-shiney-anymore Ducati all over the place. Aside from a busted leg, he’s alright.
At this time we decide to make tracks before we attract police attention but I have a couple of blasts up and down the mountain first, in awe at how flickable the CBR600RR is through the fast stuff, using up the remainder of the knee-sliders on the borrowed leathers (my suit is in transit) but I don’t push it – have to sell the bike in under 3 weeks and can’t afford a crash.
We ride out to Miryang and hang another big left, on the way to Unmun Dam – the huge water reservoir that feeds the surrounding towns and countryside. It’s a couple of hours ride from ChangWangJae and we have a gas stop before pressing onward to my second favourite set of twisties; roll-on UnMun!
Crossing the rise at Unmun Dam I see what can only be described as a mass-exodus of bikes, some 20 riders strong. I thought it might have been a club ride, but going around the ‘Big’ corner I see the real reason: two police cars and several police busting the few remaining riders there.
This place in Unmun Dam has been a staple for Daegu riders and beyond for years and I’ve been coming here for the last 3 of those, but it looks like the police have finally clamped down on the area. Time to move on…
Worried that we might feel the wrath of the police we take a C-road escape that turns into a D-road, that finally becomes a goat-track… The CRF is charging ahead no worries, but me on the 600???
Eventually, we return to civilization and take a final stretch back to Daegu where I park up the Honda for the last time at my mate’s house.
As for me, if all goes according to plan, I'll be taking the CBR600RR downtown tomorrow and exchanging it for several million won (1000won = about 1.50NZ) in preparation for my big return in just a few weeks. My contract finishes on the 18th November and after a brief stint in Thailand I'll be back in (Welly)town around the 2nd/3rd December. Lock up your daughters, sons, dogs and other small fluffy animals...
See you soon~!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Jane Omorogbe from UK MSN on the KTM990SM
Bookmarks